Various memes pop up on Facebook constantly, and some of them have to do with personal quirks and/or unusual information about the person posting them. I've not yielded to temptation on Facebook, but I thought the idea an amusing one... Continue reading

Until recently, I've not had kittens in the house for over twenty years. In that time my memory of kittenish antics faded, but with Bert & Ernie, the tuxedo brothers I adopted Thanksgiving weekend, I am finding those memories renewed.... Continue reading

I learned yesterday of the death at 88 of mystery writer Marian Babson (1929-2017). Marian, born Ruth Stenstreem in Salem, Massachusetts, emigrated to England in the 1960s, I believe. She lived there the rest of her life. Beginning in 1971... Continue reading

I've had two cats for the past five-and-a-half years. Pippa and Toby. They are both now six-and-a-half, more or less. I thought that two cats was plenty. Pippa is a calico and quite the little princess. Toby is a large... Continue reading

I can't pinpoint when my interest in history first began, particularly my interest in the history of my family. I do remember as a teenager meeting one of my paternal grandfather's cousins who shared with the work she had done... Continue reading

The recent weather events with Harvey and Irma have brought back many memories of my own experiences with hurricanes from my years in Houston. Before I lived through Alicia in Houston in 1983, my only experience that I could recall... Continue reading

I write series books that follow the adventures of a main character or characters, along with the secondary characters who are a part of the main characters' lives. Though the main character is always the chief focus of the story,... Continue reading

Yes, I kill people. To date, upwards of thirty. More to come, I hope. And of course I'm sure anyone reading this realizes that I'm writing about fictional characters being murdered. People who read my books already know this about... Continue reading

I've written here before about how discovering Nancy Drew inspired my love of mysteries. Nancy led me to a host of other juvenile detectives, and I read as many of them as I could find. In the late 1960s and... Continue reading

Visiting us today is one of the original Femmes Fatales, Julie Wray Herman. Julie and I have been good friends for over twenty years, and I have always been a fan of her writing. She wrote three wonderful mysteries for... Continue reading

When I'm working on a book I don't usually read mysteries. What I read during the period of completing a manuscript varies, depending on whatever my mood might be. At present, during my downtime (usually a little while before bedtime),... Continue reading

One of the questions facing mystery writers is whether to write a series or to write stand-alones. The answer depends on several things: the preferences of the writer, the intended audience, and, to a certain degree, the marketplace. My preference... Continue reading

This past weekend I attended the Alabama Book Festival in the state capitol, Montgomery. Carolyn Haines and I did a panel together on cozy mysteries, moderated by our friend Tammy Lynn. This was only the second state book festival that... Continue reading

Carolyn Haines is no stranger to Femmes readers. The USA Today-bestselling author has shared her insights on writing with us before. This week she is launching a new (well, not completely new) venture in her publishing career. For a number... Continue reading

A common question for writers is "Where did you get the idea for your latest book?" Some writers cringe when they hear this question, because sometimes it's hard to say exactly where the inspiration for a book originates. A chance... Continue reading

Not a good day for Julius Caesar... Et tu, Brute? and all that... but possibly a good day to talk about some of my favorite historical mysteries and series. I became fascinated with English history in my teenage years, so... Continue reading

There are those who say that book covers really don't matter. After all, it's what is between them that is really important. Bad books can have great cover art -- and great books can have abysmal covers. I am one... Continue reading

For my first blog post last year, I shared my thoughts on not making any resolutions for the new year. Now we're in 2017, and my intention remains firm... so in case you missed it last year, here's what I... Continue reading

My only persistent Christmas tradition revolves around movies. During this time every year, I take time to watch my favorite holiday movies, either on DVD or when they appear on Turner Classic Movies. For me, the season wouldn't be completely... Continue reading

Last week my partner and I took a week-long cruise on the Carnival Dream in the western Caribbean. This was my third cruise, and the ship was the largest by far that I've sailed on. Capacity is around 4,000 people.... Continue reading

One of my beloved teachers, the late professor Maria Hogan Butler, once quoted these lines to me in a letter -- words of encouragement when I sorely needed them. They come from Robert Browning's "Epilogue to 'Asolando'." "One who never... Continue reading

A few years ago I stumbled across the work of an English writer, Elizabeth Cadell. Born in India in 1903 of British parents, she grew up on the subcontinent and was educated there. She returned to England at some point,... Continue reading

I have always had a predilection for female amateur detectives, ever since I first discovered Nancy Drew over forty years ago with The Secret of Shadow Ranch. That was the first mystery I read, and when I graduated to adult... Continue reading